depuy engineer explains flaw in internal testing of asr hip

The New York Times reports on the interesting information being revealed in the first DePuy ASR hip trial:

Separately, a DePuy engineer, Graham Isaac, testified on Thursday that before selling the A.S.R., the company only tested its performance on laboratory equipment at one angle of implantation.

Depending on the surgical technique and a patient’s build, orthopedic surgeons can implant the cup component of an artificial hip at a variety of angles. And because the A.S.R. had a design flaw, normal variance from the single angle at which DePuy had tested it made it more likely for the joint’s cup and ball components to strike each other, releasing metallic debris inside a patient. 

Source: Hip Implant’s Risks Inadequately Assessed, DePuy Report Found in 2010 - NYTimes.com

Our sources tell us that the DePuy ASR implants are very likely to have been implanted at angles other than the one that was tested internally.  Whether the fact that DePuy engineers only tested one angle was intentional or a coincidence is purely a matter of conjecture at this point.

FDA May require more information from metal-on-metal hip makers

Once again, the FDA arrives late to the party:

Jan 17 (Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued a proposal calling on companies that make all-metal hip replacements to provide additional information proving they are safe and effective before being allowed to continue selling them.

The move follows years of concern within the medical community over the metal-on-metal implants, which the FDA said on Thursday can cause soft-tissue damage, potentially leading to further surgery to replace the devices.

Source: UPDATE 1-FDA moves to tighten controls on all-metal hip implants | Reuters

Recall of course that trial lawyers have for years been filing lawsuits against the makers of metal-on-metal hips.  DePuy, for example. faces over 2,000 lawsuits from individuals who received DePuy ASR hip implants that may be defective.